Xenos Polish for Release 38

From last week’s Update of the Avatar #211:

Right before we went persistent, we uncloned Xenos and made some modifications to it for specific plot points. However, we were not satisfied with the level of polish, so we are revisiting this scene and doing a polish pass this release. We hope to have this pass complete by Release 38. Xenos is on the island of Elysium, southwest of Novia, and is a critical juncture on the Path of Truth. This is the third update we have posted so far on this map.

[A Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Scottie” Jones]

And here we are folks,…the final post for Xenos before it goes live in the next build! We’re working feverishly on this (as you can tell by the hour of this post), and hope that you’ll enjoy what we have to offer…

Everything I had yearned to include in the scene has now been placed somewhere on the map, and at this point all that is left for me to do is proliferate them to all the various places they may go, and finish some final touch-up details on the landscape painting and foliage placement as decoration across the map… You’ll see examples of pretty much everything in the images of this last and largest post… We’ll begin and end near the city center, where you can see the festive area of the Forum. Beyond it you can catch a peek at the newest addition to replace a building that I had been struggling to figure out how to handle… Instead I used a suggestion from the Mad Hatter pertaining to a wonderful asset available on the Unity Store, which ended up perfectly fitting the theme of the scene, and tied in wonderfully to elements of the fiction pertaining to the mysterious Titan Boreus.We’ll see that building up close at the end of the post, but for now, let’s make use of the handy gondolas that I’ve placed at various locations throughout the scene… Initially, each will have two boats; one which will allow you to visit another gondola dock around the bay, and the second which will return to the one you just came from. Eventually, however, our plan is to have a single boat there which will take you to any of the locations on that scene map by merely choosing one from an entire list! Grand convenience!

On the way to catch the gondola, you’ll notice that merchants have finally arrived to set up their wares in market stalls that line the busy docks. Colorful awnings and goods of all kinds entice those who have newly arrived to the city from far, foreign shores! And speaking of merchants, the caravanserai has now been stocked with them as well, and offers a comfortable environment in which to sit and socialize while enjoying a sweet pastry or delicious fruit from the local orchards.

As far as orchards go, not far from the caravanserai and the tent city near the edge of Xenos can now be seen rich farmlands and tilled fields full of crops ready for harvest by the local plebeians. Nearby are fenced-in paddocks and grassy acres where cows and sheep wander placidly grazing. The great Elysian Plains stretch away toward the distant horizon. One can even find a shrine to a forgotten harvest goddess nestled in the middle of a wheat field on the way toward Hatter’s Hill, evidence of the pantheistic ancient days before the Fall, thousands of years before the path of Virtues was established.

Much like the steep road leading up to the Elysian Heights neighborhood across the bay, the cobbled road to Hatter’s Hill district is adorned by pillars topped with burning braziers to light the way in the shadows of the steep cliffs. Statues of long-dead legionnaires known as the Tagma Guard, warriors in service to the ancient royalty of Elysium before the Fall, watch over travelers as they climb the hill to the top. A brief respite on the way may be in order near a fountain fed by the same artesian wells that supply the Eastern Aqueduct with fresh water that services the Elysian Meadows neighborhood below.Atop the Hill itself are a variety of interest points, much like the distant Elysian Heights and the West Bay area. Water features such as the old fountain seen above, small bathing ponds, and public wading pools are fairly numerous, many of which are decorated with statuary from the old kingdom. And of course, a variety of ruins of ancient Xenos can be discovered throughout the area, especially at the city’s outskirts. The plateau of Hatter’s Hill itself was once the seat of power for Xenos, established long before the Fall by twin brothers according to legend (one of whom betrayed the other to assume the throne as sole monarch, it is said), and whose massive statues still stand on either side of the great Elysium Gulf, which leads to the Bay of Storms. When the moon was shattered and fell from the sky, though no shards struck Elysium, the shores of Xenos were battered by vast waves and shaken by terrible earthquakes. The palaces of Xenos’ ancient rulers were toppled in the cataclysm’s fury, and what is left of them can still be found on the Hill to this day, long since looted and choked with shrubs and overgrowth.Last but not least we return to the City Center district to see evidence of some of Xenos’ newest architecture, the gleaming Hall of Boreus, erected well over a century ago during his stay here after the end of the Obsidian Empire, and housing (now that he has apparently vanished) an enormous statue carved in his likeness. Trimmed in beaten sheets of gold, and carved by the same masons who erected the graceful arches and pillars of the Lagoon of Pleasure (as well as several other features found throughout the city), this splendid shrine to the Titan of Truth stands as the perfect centerpiece to this thriving city of luck and pleasure. Perhaps a visit to this shrine will enhance the luck of those seeking their fortunes at the fabled Lottery.

Here is a short video of my work on the scene:

I truly hope you have enjoyed this final tour of my work on Xenos before it goes live! As always, it has been an absolute pleasure sharing my progress with you… Wish me luck as I perform the final polishing touches!

Yours truly…

Scottie ^_^